1992 – Essay: Censorship of Books

Going through my old writing – this was the oldest essay I could find, from 1992 (9th grade). I find it interesting that many of my views remain the same around censorship. Reading it, though, it's interesting how US-centric my thoughts were. If nothing else, my travels have broadened my horizons. We've become a global community, with borders and barriers fading away. I'm proud of that – and believe that one day we'll consider ourselves humans first.

Censorship of Books

The censorship of books should not be legal. It is the right of any given person to be able to read what he or she wants. Why should governments have the power to nullify the first amendment? If you give governments this power, they will use it as a stepping stone to further control your lives.

Governments believe they know what is best for us. How can this be tru when they don't even know us. They just decide what would be best for the average American. Unfortunately, there is no such thing. Each person is very different from everybody else.

Books are the captured essence of an author's imagination, emotions, and experiences. If you censor this, it will discontinue to be a work of art and will become only a shell filled with unreal emotions. There is a great diversity of opinions among Americans. What one person considers to be trash, another will believe it to be a great novel. This is what makes American literature so diverse and interesting.

We need to tolerate others' views. If a person dislikes a certain book or topic, that person should choose not to read it. That person, however, should not force his or her beliefs onto another person. This would be violating their right to read what they want. Each person knows what is best for him or her. No one else could justly make that decision for them. Censorship is a violation of rights and should not be allowed in America.